Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1887-03-19
Gov. Lees Message to the Legislature

Gov. Lees Message 10 the Legislature.
The Legislature assembled in OK
ira session at noon to day, pursu.
ant to the call of the Governor
Governor Lees message was pre-.
scented III both Houses about 1880.
This document will make about
seven columns Of this paper. 1t lis
devoted almost exclusively to the
revision of the Code, the debt com
p!icationS, and the embarrassment
70 the State resulting from the re-
cent decision of the Federal Su.
premc Court in ease OF drnmmcrs'
license tax. Touching the pr0poS
ell constitutional amendment the
Governor says:
"Nor do see how the prohibi-
ton of the Federal Constitution,
that no State shall pass any law i'm
pairing the obligation OF contract,
can be cv;lded by ENGRAVING Il nul
lifying provision upon the Crnsti
tuition OF, the State. The prohibi-
tion is upon the Stale with regard
to the form lis laws may take, or
the agencies which enact them.--
Tie obligation OF Il contract can no
more he impaired by the Constitu
iition oI IL State than by an act of
its Legislature. lideed. the point
has been settled by the Supreme
Court Of the United States more
than once"
The message recommends the
passage of. al act providing that
coupons rendered in payment Of
taxes and not accepted thereior,may
De recovered by the persons so ten
dcring by Suit in Clrcuit Courts
! 1.-THE defendant fails in his defence
then Judgment is to be dociicted
in favor of die Commonwealth
Says the Governor: The passage
of the Substance OF Il law such as |
have outlined. with the attending
tnacll"ely ln put 1t III motion, VIII
be carrying Gut tie plain theory OF
he act approved February l4th,
1852, and it is hoped viii prove eli
i'cctivc."
Iii rega,t! to the decisions Of the
Supreme Gourt Us to the unconStl
tuilunaIliN of the drulnI!ers' tax,
the message says: "lnlcrpretns
this decision as given hy Tie pub
lie prints, not having seen Tie cN-
act tcXt, HE States annual reve-
nue. will he decreased. and provlS-
ION will have to be made for The dc
felt. The sample merchants IL
cen>e for the fiscal year ending
September 3Uil, 1856, aggregated
S677 600. More Important than this
decrease Of revenue, is the position
IN which it places our own mer-
chants. 1t should be the duty OF
the Legislature to give every pro
lection TO citizens Of Virginia, so
lis to prevent II competition OH
equal terms between home mcr-
chant> an;i manufacturers, and
those who pay no tax to the SUP
port oi Tie State Government. 1t
Is a difficult and grave question,
aud it NAV be necessary for the
Legislature to adapt ali oar license
laws 20 this ncw condition OF al
fairs"
Tie Governor ayS: Il repeat my
former recommendations for the
appointment Ola commission whose
duty it shall bc to demonstrate to
u similar commission from the
h9HlltsYJsarIss t4ss seXaGg y tacts aud
revenues and expenditures, and
point out not ouly what is the
available revenue after providing
for the constitutional arpropria
tons for governments, schools and
other public expenditures, but de
monSliate to them what revenue
relnaius after the regular annual
legislative appropriations, aud
hicIl ale not included in constl
tuiIonal appropriations. The du
ties OF such commission should be
plainly defined, their powers care
fully prescribed, guarded and linn
lied, that no miScunceptlon Uc III.
dugcl on the part OF any one -
Cor. Norfolk Ledger, 10th.